Magic from NYC to Galveston?

[DVCNuts]

I searched and found some old posts from April 2011 speculating about a 5-night re-positioning cruise from New York to Galveston 9/17-9/22. However, it looks like they're not selling that as a cruise. Is the Magic just sailing empty? Crew cleaning the ship for 5 days? Just curious.

 

[Minnie Monellen]

I searched and found some old posts from April 2011 speculating about a 5-night re-positioning cruise from New York to Galveston 9/17-9/22. However, it looks like they're not selling that as a cruise. Is the Magic just sailing empty? Crew cleaning the ship for 5 days? Just curious.

There's no repositioning scheduled from NY to Galveston. There would need to be a foreign port as a stop en route. So it looks like it sailing with crew only.

 

[NancyIL]

There's no repositioning scheduled from NY to Galveston. There would need to be a foreign port as a stop en route. So it looks like it sailing with crew only.

There would need to be a distant foreign port stop for it to carry passengers - like Cartagena, Colombia.

 

[OKW Lover]

There would need to be a distant foreign port stop for it to carry passengers - like Cartagena, Colombia.

Why distant? Wouldn't a stop at Castaway Cay (Bahama's) qualify?

 

[NancyIL]

Why distant? Wouldn't a stop at Castaway Cay (Bahama's) qualify?

Castaway Cay doesn't work because the ship is traveling between two different US ports. Any foreign port stop satisfies the law for a roundtrip cruise from a US port.

 

[OKW Lover]

Castaway Cay doesn't work because the ship is traveling between two different US ports. Any foreign port stop satisfies the law for a roundtrip cruise from a US port.

Interesting. I wasn't aware of the distinction.

 

[NancyIL]

Interesting. I wasn't aware of the distinction.

The distinction is why those who booked b2b cruises on the last Alaska cruise from Seattle to Vancouver and the repo cruise from Vancouver to LA can't go on both cruises. (They have to choose one or the other.) The law (PVSA) considers it one cruise from Seattle to LA, and there is no distant foreign port stop.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Interesting. I wasn't aware of the distinction.

The distinction is for a closed loop cruise (departing and returning to the same US port) the ship must call at any foreign port. For a cruise from one US city to a different US city the ship must call at a distant foreign port. A distant foreign port is defined as any port NOT in North America or the Carribbean.

 

[DVCNuts]

So what do you suppose they will do on the ship without any passengers aboard? I am guessing they will do a lot of cleaning and crew training.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So what do you suppose they will do on the ship without any passengers aboard? I am guessing they will do a lot of cleaning and crew training.

This, most likely.

 

[OKW Lover]

The distinction is why those who booked b2b cruises on the last Alaska cruise from Seattle to Vancouver and the repo cruise from Vancouver to LA can't go on both cruises. (They have to choose one or the other.) The law (PVSA) considers it one cruise from Seattle to LA, and there is no distant foreign port stop.

Hmmm. So - I'm on a B2B next May going LA>Vancouver and then Vancouver>Alaska. That's legal?

Oh, and sorry this has gone

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hmmm. So - I'm on a B2B next May going LA>Vancouver and then Vancouver>Alaska. That's legal?

Oh, and sorry this has gone

No, your cruise(s) are LA to Vancouver, and Vancouver to Vancouver (you're on DCL?). So the B2B is (in essence) still LA to Vancouver. While you're on your Vancouver to Vancouver cruise, you're visiting Alaska. Your requirement to visit a foreign port is moot, since you're not doing a US round trip or a US city to a different US city.

 

[NancyIL]

Hmmm. So - I'm on a B2B next May going LA>Vancouver and then Vancouver>Alaska. That's legal?

Oh, and sorry this has gone

No, your cruise(s) are LA to Vancouver, and Vancouver to Vancouver (you're on DCL?). So the B2B is (in essence) still LA to Vancouver. While you're on your Vancouver to Vancouver cruise, you're visiting Alaska. Your requirement to visit a foreign port is moot, since you're not doing a US round trip or a US city to a different US city.

As PrincessSchmoo said - since your Alaska cruise is roundtrip from Vancouver, your trip begins in LA and ends in Vancouver. One-ways between different countries are no problem. However, had DCL been doing one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier, Alaska - you would not have been able to do a B2B from LA to Alaska.

The same law is why roundtrip cruises to Hawaii from California stop in Ensenada, Mexico - but one-way cruises to/from Hawaii have to start or end in another country.

 

[WenInTexas]

This, most likely.

I HOPE so!